Pass the Gas Lighting

I am pleading with you people. Find a reason to excuse yourself from the room, and avoid the public embarrassment.

As addictive as arguing with disingenuous people might be, ultimately it’s like wrestling a pig. You get dirty, and the pig likes it. Sometimes you just have to politely excuse yourself from the situation, cut your losses, realize you’re being played, and walk away. It will feel like a loss, especially to those of us prepared to clash swords all day with idiots.

But the thing is, most of the people we choose to take on are not idiots. They are insincere and they’re messing with you. There is a difference.

Lately, I’ve been referring to them as “the devil’s rodeo clowns.” A rodeo clown, in case you were unaware, isn’t there primarily to entertain the crowd. The rodeo clown is there to distract the bull when he’s about to kick the cowboy in the face and send him to Jesus. I feel myself an expert, although less so lately, at arguing with evangelical leftists. And let me tell you, they are not serious. They are not sincere. They are playing interference with the big boys to keep them from landing on punch on the devil.

Or, in some cases, big girls. What I mean is, the devil’s rodeo clowns have a red flag in their pocket, and whenever God’s warriors are working him over too hard, they pull out the hankie and start to wave it frantically. Usually, that’s on X, which is the intersection of today’s Marketplace of Ideas.

What I’m suggesting is, the most prolific afflicters of conservative evangelical influencers, their proverbial thorns in the flesh (Mike Cosper and Dwight McKissic are two that come to mind) are devilish. I’m suggesting that every metric by which such things can be judged, strongly suggests they work for the other team. By that, I mean Satan.

The concept is genius, but ironically so. Their arguments are so pathetically stupid, it makes you want to reach out and “help them” come to the right conclusions. It’s a rouse, people. Satan always uses Christians’ virtue against them. Whatever virtue you have, for example, wanting to help someone avail themselves of woeful ignorance, is what the devil uses to put his barbs in you. He uses your moral strength to attack your weaknesses.

I’m aware this may not make sense yet. Let me give you some examples.

Exhibit A comes from Rod Martin, who is a super smart guy but on top of that, he’s got really great gut instincts and is virtually never wrong. The post in question is from “pro-life” (that’s what you call someone who votes Democrat, right?) pastor, Dwight McKissic, which basically amounts to an argument suggesting a moral equivalency between what he calls “racism” (IE not giving black folk whatever they demand) and abortion. The context really isn’t that important.

I desperately wanted to chime in at this point, and almost hit ‘enter’ on a comment, explaining to McKissic that man-stealing under the Old Testament Judicial Code is not synonymous with slavery and more importantly, it is not synonymous with racism. The founders of our country put a sunset clause on the trans-Atlantic man-stealing slave trade immediately, precisely for their (correct) Scriptural interpretation on this point. While they very unfortunately had a paternalistic racial view that suggested slavery was a social necessity to manage the lives of a supposedly inferior race, they knew that the type of man-stealing going on between the West Africans and the Dutch was egregious. I also wanted to explain to McKissic that’s why the Bible gave man-stealing the death penalty, but simultaneously instituted laws to govern slavery. And then, I wanted to explain that the sin of partiality (racism) was not synonymous with slavery and tell him that comparing the sin of partiality, or even conscripted labor, was not the same as chopping up babies with a surgical saw.

But, I held firm to my commitment not to throw holy things to dogs (Matthew 6:6-7). Dwight McKissic pastors a megachurch of 1800 members that he planted in his garage. He’s not dumb. He either knows all that, or he should know all that. And Rod Martin either knows McKissic knows that, or he should know that he knows that.

Or consider Exhibit B, Tom Buck and Dwight McKissic. The thing about Tom Buck is, he’s a genuinely discerning guy most of the time, with some terrible blind spots over the years (like his one-time affinity for Karen Swallow Prior and Rachel Denhollander), at which point he attacked me for a year or two for the sin of being right. The point is, Tom Buck is usually astute.

The context of Exhibit 2 is Tom QT’ing a tweet from McKissic explaining his support for Kamala Harris. Literally everything Buck says here is 100% spot-on. My point is not that Buck should argue better with McKissic. My point is, sometimes Buck and McKissic go back-and-forth for days, and it appears that Buck is under the assumption he can get through to him with enough facts or Scriptural points.

It’s not going to happen. Buck should know this. He’s been at it with McKissic for years.

Speaking of big girls landing punches on the devil, is Megan Basham. Her book, Shepherd’s for Sale, has packed a wallop on Satan and his preachers. But, wow. Basham spends an inordinate amount of time trying to explain to sinister ministers things they surely already know. It’s not a big deal. There are worse ways to spend a day. I just wonder if she’s aware that they’re gaslighting us.

The context of Exhibit C is that Mike Cosper tweeted a defense of David French, who’s quite obviously to everyone, a Democrat lost person who calls himself a Christian conservative because that’s his schtick. Speaking of Democrat lost people who calls himself a Democrat, so is Mike Cosper. Meanwhile, Basham is sharp as a whip so she either knows this or she should know this.

My friends, if we take a step back and consider this social media situation from the outside looking in, we would see that conservative evangelicals are busy arguing very genuinely and for very good motivations with people who are not genuine and do not have good motivations.

However, all of our motivations in these situations presuppose that our opponent is not doing what they’re doing and saying what they’re saying because they’re wicked. If we believe they’re wicked, we should immediately stop arguing with them using facts and logic, and go into evangelism mode to talk to them about their sin and need for Christ.

Before I proceed, let me make sure you understand what gaslighting is.

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that makes the other side question their own sanity, waste inordinate amount of time trying to correct you, or act in an unbecoming fashion out of anger or frustration.

The first time I recognized this was a concept, before the phrase began to be commonly used, was when Thabiti Anyabwile very clearly endorsed Bernie Sanders in the primary in 2016. When we published that story, he claimed we misunderstood him and took his words of out context. I thought, perhaps we did. I read his endorsement over and over and over again, but I couldn’t see how we did, but thought I was losing my mind.

This was before he came out of the closet as such an ardent leftist, despite the signs all being there. But then, he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the general election. After we published that story, he claimed we misunderstood him and took his words out of context. And that was the moment I figured it out.

He’s a liar, he is a deceiver, and he works for the devil.

Harsh? Nah. Look at him now. He was just toying with us. He was literally messing with our mind. He knew he was a Comintern. We knew he was a Comintern. And he knew that we knew he was a Comitern. And he was giddy about making us think we were the crazy ones. He was giddy about knowing one day, he would come out of the closet, but it wasn’t going to be that day.

So why do they do this other than the kicks and grins? I’d submit to you, as I already have, they work for Satan. And if I could be so bold, I think people like Rod Martin, Tom Buck, and Megan Basham work for God. I think their time is valuable. I think their energy is valuable. I think their witness is valuable. And, I think Satan rejoices in wasting God’s valuable things.

Call me crazy, but I’m 100% certain that Satan has many such rodeo clowns whose primary purpose in his kingdom of darkness is to distract Christians from the priorities God has set for them. We cannot be punching the “powers and principalities of darkness in high places” if we’re busy arguing with Satan’s saboteurs all day.

Satan has minions. They are his minions. Aim for the guy at the top.

I’ve been clear in my Polemicist’s Manifesto # 2, that “Polemics must cease to to focus on personalities, and instead focus on principalities.” Basham’s work, for example, exposing the Dark Money influence on evangelicalism has been invaluable. I know, because I started it. I praise God she picked up where I left off, and God magnified and multiplied and blessed her work. And it is so much more important than explaining to Neil Shenvi for the thousandth time that his pastor is a Critical Theorist (or at least pays for sermons written by Critical Theorists). He knows that already.

These people insist that they are conservatives, pro-life, anti-Marxist etc - and they will absolutely die on that hill - because the moment they deny any of those things, they can no longer be subversive because the jig will be up.

Here are two things to consider before you go after that clown who’s waving that red flag in your face. Consider them maxims for engagement, if you will.

Are you trying to convince them of something that it’s reasonable to assume the Holy Spirit should have already convinced them of? If so, you’re not going to accomplish what the Holy Spirit has not, so do not engage.

Are you trying to convince them of something for which facts are already available to them and should already be clear? If so, they are either dishonest or spiritually blind. If the former, your facts won’t matter so do not engage. If the latter, see #1 and do not engage.

Yes, I’m perfectly aware I spent the last 15 years not taking that advice. And look at me now. The wear-and-tear on your body, brain, and spirit is not worth needless argument. You might as well argue with a brick.

There is one noteworthy exception to these two maxims, and I believe this is likely what Basham (in particular) is doing. That is to lift up to scorn their arguments, not for their sake but for the sake of those watching, in order to “cast down those lofty thoughts raised up against God” (2 Corinthians 10:5). That might be a valuable tactic, but only if you have the skillset and only if it won’t drive you nuts.

Your life will be happier - and you will be more productive - if you just learn to pass on the gas lighting. Refuse to be toyed with. Mark those who cause division by teaching what isn’t sound doctrine and avoid them (Romans 16:16-17).

That’s the Bible, y’all. The “avoid them” thing is part of the command. You’ll be much happier and more effective if you take that advice.